Operating table accessory



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 11 1 IIIIIIIIIIIIII J FIG-2 Nov. 18, 1958 Filed April 23, 1956 gllllilllll E m? Y OSH E TN .N NIC R M O V W L A R Y HB LO AJ 9 1958 A. c. EINSTEIN ETAL 2,860,937

OPERATING TABLE ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1956 v INVENTORS ALFRED c. EINSTEIN q! IJOHN L. Mc PHEE ATTORNEY z FIG-7 United States PatentO OPERATING TABLE ACCESSORY Alfred C. Einstein, University City, Mo.,- and John L. McPhee, Redwood City, Calif assignors to Shamp aine Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application April 23, 1956, Serial No. 579,966 6 Claims. (Cl. 311-7) ",This invention relates in general. to certain new and useful improvements in surgical equipment devices and, more particularly, to an accessory device for use in conjunction with surgical operating tables to effect the elevation of the abdominal area of the patient into a so-called kidney position.

7 Certain types of surgical operations, more particularly, operations involving the kidney or gall bladder stones, are done by placing the patients body in a'so-called kidney position. In this position, the patients body is sharply elevated 01' bridged in the region of the ribs so that the shoulders on one side, and the hips on the other side, are substantially lower than the elevated area. On many types of majorsurgery operating tables, the elevation is done by means of a kidney elevator built into the operating table, and consisting of a narrow elongated rectangular plate capable of a vertical movement bymeans of an appropriate lift mechanism. In use the patient is placed on the operating table so that the region of the incision is aligned with the kidney elevator. When the incision is made, the area of the incision is elevated to the kidney position so as to widen the incision opening into the visceral cavity and also to cause various organs within the abdomen to slide out of the immediate area in which surgical work is to be done. In other words, the patients body is spread open, thereby facilitating access to the viscereal cavity by the surgeon. It has been found, however, that conventional kidney elevators bridge the patients' body too sharply, particularly in cases where an extreme degree of elevations is required. As a result, embolisms and adhesions are frequently formed which at times are quite serious.

1 It is, therefore, the principal object of the present,

invention to provide an accessory device for the kidney elevators of operating tables to facilitate placing the patient in kidney position and avoiding the danger of causing the embolisms and adhesions which otherwise can result from the use of kidney elevators.

. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an operating table pad which can be utilized in supporting the patients body in kidney position.

, With the above and other objects in view, our invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a top elevational plan view of a kidney position pad embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modern operating table with the kidney pad in operative position on the kidney elevator;

Fig. 6 is a top elevational plan view of a kidney pad embodying a modified form of the present invention; and

2,860,937 Patented Nov. 18, 1958 Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7- -7 of Fig. 6. i

Referring now in more detail and by reference characters to the drawings, which illustrate practical embodiments of the present invention, A designates a kidney pad comprised of a seat section 1, and a back section 2, encased within an outer waterproof cover 3, the sections 1 and Zbeing flexibly connected by a web 4 formed from a continuationof the pad cover 3. The cover 3, as will be seen by reference to Figures 2 and 3, is formed into an envelope and secured around the seat section 1 and backsection 2 by lines of stitches 5 and 6. be noted in this connection that the .seat section 1 is somewhat larger in shape than the back section'2 and, when laid out flat, the pad A is much narrower across the region of the web 4 than it is at either of its transverse ends. The seat section 1 consists of an internal, rigid Masonite panel 7 of such length and width as to adequately support the lower portion of a patients body, The Masonite panel 7 is, in turn, completely enclosed within padding 15 formed of sponge rubber or any suitable cushioning material, and the whole finally enclosed within the cover 3 as aforesaid.

Similarly, the back section 2 is formed in the same manner as the seat section 1, comprising a Masonite panel 11 encased with padding 15'. The back section 2, of course, is shaped to conform to the upper part of the human body, rather than the lower part.

Securely fastened to the under side of the web 4' by stitching or an appropriate means are two straps 16 provided at their ends with snap fasteners 17. These straps 16 can be disposed encirclingly around the kidney elevator K, as shown in Fig. 5, to hold the padA in operative position. i i

In use, the pad A is placed flatwise upon the operating table T and secured to the kidney elevator K, as above described. In this position, the back section 2 of the pad A rests upon the back section of the operating table,v and the seat section 1 of the pad A likewise rests uponv the seat section of the operatingtable. In this position,

the seat sectionl and back section 2 of the pad A provide a firm support for areas ,of the body adjacent to the incision area of the body, thus preventing sagging of the remainder of the body not supported by the kidney elevator, minimizing the occurrence of abrasions of the internal organs and embolism in the vascular system which tend to form in long operations.

If desired, it is possible to provide a modified form of kidney pad A having a seat section 1 and a back section 2', which are substantially similar in all respects to the previously described kidney'pad A, except the padding has been omitted from the seat'section 1 and the back section 2 to provide a support with greater rigidity and firmness comparable to. the operating table.

. It should be understood that changes and modifications in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of theseveral parts of the surgical equipment device may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of our invention.

Having thus desccribed our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A pad adapted for use with the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid panel-like seat section having a substantially straight rear margin and being adapted to be interposed between the seat member of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients body, an elongated relatively rigid panel-like back section having a substantially straight forward margin and being adapted to be interposed between the back member of a surgical operating table and the upper portion of the It should,

patients body, said seat section and back section beingpositioned with respect to each other in such a manner that the said margins are respectively disposedjn spaced parallel relation to provide a substantial gap therebetween, a piece of flexible webbing secured at its op posite sides tothe seat section and back section along said margins respectively to span said gap and thereby flexibly connect the back sectionand seat section, said webbing being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the'kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, and strap members secured to the under face of said webbing for releasably securing the pad to the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table.

. 2. A pad adapted for use with the'kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid panel-like seat section adapted to be interposed between the seat member of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients body, said seat section being relatively narrow across the rear margin, an elongated relatively rigid panel-like back section adaptedto be interposed between the back member of a surgical operating table and the' upper portion of the patients body, said back section being relatively narrow across its forward margin, said back section and seat sectionbeing encased within a layer of resilient padding, and a flexible web for hingedly connecting the narrow margins of the back section and seat section in spaced relation, said web being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table.

3. A pad adapted for use with the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid panel-like seat section adapted to be interposed between the seatmember of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients body, an elongated relatively rigid panel-like back section adapted to be interposed between the back member ofa surgical operating table and the upper portion of the patients body, said back section and seat section being encased within a layer of resilient padding which is in turn enclosed within an outer waterproof envelope, a flexible web forming part of said waterproof envelope for hingedly connecting the back section and seat section, said web being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, and a plurality of flexible straps of said web for releasably securing the pad to the kidney elevator.

4. A pad adapted for use with the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid panel-like seat section adapted to be interposed between the seat member of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients body, an elongated relatively rigid panel-likeback section adapted to be interposed between the back member of a surgical operating table and the upper portion of the patients body, said back section and seat section being enclosed within a waterproof outer envelope, a flexible web forming part of said waterproof envelope for hingedly connecting the back section and seat section, said web being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, and a plurality of flexible straps on said web for releasably securing the pad to the kidney elevator.

5. A pad adapted for use with the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid'panel-like seat section adapted to be interposed between the seat member of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients body, an elongated relatively rigid panel-like back section adapted to be interposed between the back member of a surgical operating table and the upper portion of the patients body, said seat section and back section both being formed of a rigid material from the class consisting of Masonite,. fiber-board, and plywood, said seat section and back section each being encased within a layer of resilient padding which is, in turn, enclosed within a waterproof envelope, a thin flexible web forming part of said envelope for hingedly connecting the back section'and seat section, said web being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, and a plurality of flexiblestraps secured to said web for releasably securing the pad to the kidney elevator.

6. A pad adapted for use with the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, said pad comprising an elongated relatively rigid panel-like seat sectionadapted to be interposed between the seat member of a surgical operating table and the lower portion of the patients' body, an elongated relatively rigid panel-like back sec tion adapted to beinterposed between the back member of a surgical operating table and the upper portion of the patients body, said back section and seat section being relatively wide along their outer transverse margins and relatively narrow along their inner juxtaposed margins, said back section and seat section each' being enclosed within a waterproof outer envelope, a

flat flexible web forming part of said waterproof envelope for hingedly connecting the back section and seat section, said web being adapted to overlie and rest conformably upon the kidney elevator of a surgical operating table, and strap means attached to one face of said web for releasably securing the pad to the kidney elevator.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITEl) STATES PATENTS 517,801. Orasemann Apr. 3, 1894 1,143,651 Smlth June 22, 19.15 1,549,289 Bradley Aug. 11, 1925 1,607,420 Williams Nov. 16, 1926 2,119,706 Drexler et al. June 7, 1938 2,236,770 AtWell Apr. 1, 1941 2,469,084 Schenker May 3, 1949 2,475,003 Black July 5, 1949 2,543,218 Young et a1. Feb. 27, 1951 2,547,840 Smith Apr. 3, 1951 2,700,583 Davis et al J an. 25, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 101 Great Britain 1906 6,046 Great Britain 1912 

